The Other Scythe Wielder
by kuya-taku
Summary: In some alternate, magical and twisted version of RWBY. Some good guys are the bad guys and some bad guys are the good guys. The rest are probably in the middle, but who knows! They could be both! Now, who the hell took my scythe? Wait… WHO THE HELL ATE MY PIZZA? *looks over by the Door* GODDAMMIT OZPIN!
1. Chapter 1

In some alternate, magical and twisted version of RWBY. Some good guys are the bad guys and some of the bad guys are the good guys. The rest are probably in the middle, but who knows? They could be both! Join the crew as they deal with the same alternate shit, all over again! Now, who the hell took my scythe? Wait… WHO THE HELL ATE MY PIZZA!? ***looks over by the Door*** GODDAMMIT OZPIN!

Warning! Dark theme and a crazy novice author.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, RT does….

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 **Lore…**

According to old tales, there was a symbol of absolute fear. They weren't the Grimm nor were they the silver eyed warriors too. It was just one man, one person, one god forsaken life who ruled over the lands and filled every person, young or old, with fear and distress. It was said that the man was no human for he was the devil himself. The death who took a human form only to fetch the souls of those sinful scoundrels himself. He Had a thirst for blood that cannot be quenched and the ending hunger to hunt and kill.

Every night, there were countless of corpses that decors the streets with blood and horror.

The pitiful souls that fell victim to his methods summed up to thousands made him legendary.

Until one day. That devil suddenly disappeared… rumors circulated around the Kingdoms that the reaper went back to hell. However, little did they all knew… he was just waiting to be reborn again.

 _"Every path, every streak of cloud, points to the same bed._ _I keep my wounds fresh for her so she can see their depth."_

\- traveler's diary, found outside Amman

Call his name and he shall come

 _Speak your words of betrayal and he will be at your side_

 _Pierce the sword into the hearts of thine enemies_

 _Gain retribution but be warned,_

 _for vengeance carries a double edged sword_

 _Do harm upon the undeserving_

 _he shall bring his wrath upon you three fold_

* * *

 **Modern day and time…**

Even when it was late, the streets of vale were busy as ever. The night market ran lively with both the locals and foreign visitors. The local shops thrives with various merchandise that seems to be attracting more and more customers. Night clubs and late night concerts also seems to enlighten the night with musical entertainment. Good thing Vale was quite known as 'The festive City' so it's the perfect place for everyone who wants to shake some unnecessary stress. It was that or the advertisement said so. Still, it was not an excuse nor an immunity for any forms of crime.

 _"They are out there, somewhere…."_

The Reaper now stood on top of a random roof overlooking the population. In all his travelling, the Kingdoms and in between them, he never had the chance to see Vale in person. This was his first time. Out of rather skeptic wonders that ran through his head, he decided to stalk in the darkness first. But before he even started his self-proclaimed patrol, he had to mark his territory, after all, in basic understanding, Vale is now under his protection… from any slimy, dirty, twisted influence of the underground people.

It was now out of his common curtesy as an agent to leave behind a calling card for the people to see.

The police siren and the yellow tape over the duchess street corner are the test to that. The backup arrived shortly with the _scene of the crime operatives_. They rushed to the scene after one of the witnesses called in 911, "What do we have here?" despite partially sober, Qrow quickly followed after them.

"It's 11 in the evening then this shit comes up…" Roman tried to steady himself, "I'm sure it's the usual rubbery that went wrong. Probably, some crock-pot took advantage of the busy crowd" Well, be that as it may, Qrow had to check and make sure that the situation is locked down for investigation.

The man made his way towards the first respondents of the call. The first ones to arrive were 2 Police officers who were found seating by the sidewalk, completely speechless. They happened to be the ones assigned at that time to do a patrol around the area, therefore they were the ones who first saw the horror.

"Report" he softly commanded.

"…" Both men were still stuck in glaze of horror. They looked like little girls shivering after seeing the legendary boogeyman.

For someone like Qrow, that was unprofessional manners, "Speak up! Goddammit. What happened!?"

The officers didn't even looked at him in the eyes, "Sir…..Y-You better… See it for yourself" The first man was terrified but he did his best to keep himself together, while his partner had to rush to the nearest sewer drainage and puke what little he had for dinner. The image of the murder scene suddenly flashed on their heads again.

Qrow sighed in sympathy. Whatever it was, it had his men tormented, forever. He gestured for the medics to aided the two officers.

Roman, on the other hand, shook the last sensation of dizziness away and went straight to the dark alley where the crime scene was. There, he immediately asks one of the operatives of the current situation, "What do we have here?"

The said operative was an investigative photographer, taking pictures of the corpse that was seating on the floor. Leaning against the wall, "The man is roughly 5.9, drunk— I think. He's a human by the way. A member of the local gang 'Triad' judging from the tattoos on his arms and neck" The man gestured to the bag next to the victim, "He was probably delivering these… drugs"

Torchtwick frowned. It wasn't the usual shit after all, rather, it was one of those unending community issues. Shaking his head in disappointment, he knelt down, wear gloves, and reached over the contents, "These are high class 'dust-drugs'. How the hell did that got 'in' in Vale?"

The operative shrugged, "We don't know yet, but it's here now"

Qrow came in next and held another flashlight over the victim, "What else?"

The operative winced before he started, "The man…" he hesitated for a moment, "Do I really have to say it, sir?" Both Roman and Qrow shared a quick look at each other. It was rare to see an operative acting like that. Nevertheless, Qrow shrug and illuminated the dead victim. They had their eyes wide open as sheer horror much worse than some movie, appeared.

Two words escaped Roman's mouth, "Dear, god"

The victim had his insides splattered around the ground. There was some indication of movements like struggling marks along the radius of his posture. He seems to have tried to put his intestine back inside of him. As scary as it looked, still, that was not what silenced Officer Qrow. The victim's head was 'still' in an upright position and the eyes were opened with a dead stare. Before he died, or when he was dying at least, the guy was laughing. Though upon that moment of his death, his expression was somewhat frozen.

Torchtwick had to massage his eyes for a sec, "What an unusual sight… This seems to be too extreme" He started to study the motives and think of the nearest to the best reason for the crime. While Qrow agreed with him, it doesn't look like what the local gang would do because of any turf war. There seems to be something else. Qrow studied the entire scene… In his years of service, this is too unique. The killer— as one would put it— got a little too creative.

"Where's the message?" he whispered.

"Hmm? What was that?" asked the Operative.

Qrow flicked an arm and gestured to the victim, "There's no message here…"

"Message!? Sir. With all due respect, there's a dead guy. A 'Triad' gang member is dead with his innards in his own hands. I think that's enough for a message. In no time, I'm sure the gang would respond with violen—"

"No…" said Roman. It was now his turn to share his assessment, "It's not. Look at him. That is not the message. It's merely a tool to express something else"

The operative was baffled, "That's crazy!"

"Well, tell me noob… What do you think about this, huh?"

Noob? That offended the man a little, "I think it's a hate crime, Sir"

"Hate crime? Really, now?" He shot him an amused smile, "Not your average murder?" now that question silenced the guy. In a sense, it's murder alright, but to what degree? The killer didn't take the drugs which means whoever it was… had no interest in them. The Crime scene seems to be undisturbed too. No signs of a foul play or fight other than that unfortunate citizen who first saw it and had to run stumbling out of the alley, horrified. The operative felt that talking more would only make him look like an idiot.

Seeing the man's reaction made Roman laugh a little, "Hate Crime? Then there has to be more than just this" He gestured to the entire crime scene, "Put yourself in the killer's shoes. If you hated the victim, then why does his face looked untouched? Look at him. There's no black eye, no cut lip, no bruises cause by a punch or any marks registering a murder weapon. For god's sake— He's wearing a smile! See all that gut? Go ahead, look" the man didn't dare to, he had enough of it, actually, "The cut in his stomach came from left to right. The line is remarkably straight— I'll give him that. But the angle gave enough indication of who did it"

"He did it to himself" Qrow answered. The entire line Roman was talking about is the angle itself. If the killer really hated the guy, the cut could have gone a little higher near the diaphragm or anywhere near the chest. Instead, the cut came too low. If it was a hate crime, the killer would have stab the victim again and again until he or she satisfied their rage.

The idea of the man killing himself wasn't new but this? The man did this to himself? That was too absurd, at least for the operative, "He cut his own belly open? Now, that's too much sir"

Roman wave his hand dismissively, "You're probably going to suggest something along the line—'it was the drugs the made him do it', right?"

The man nodded.

"Kid, you're not using you head…" He held up an unused syringe that came with the victim's bag, "or your eyes either… Look at his arm and the drugs" the kid did as instructed.

"These drugs— in order for the best effect— had to be injected straight into the veins. Do you see any marks of syringe in his arms?"

Oddly, there was none. The arms were clean, "It could be the drugs but how was it administered? It can't be through intake by digestion…" Roman was sure about it, "This guy didn't have anything cooking in all of that" he gestured to the guts, "If there was there'd be some traces of digestive… stuff. Also, can't be through inhalation, there's no burn marks of chemical in nature at his nose"

Wow. Roman's quick thinking and analysis really was something else. It's either that or the alcohol did all the talking. Whichever, the operative could only wow at that quick theory of his.

"It's a Crime of Passion…" Qrow finally said. He seems to be staring at something on top of the victim's dead body.

"Bingo! I thought that too but like you said, where's the message? It's too unique and too expressive but what is the point?"

Qrow had to sighed, "You idiot…" he then reached for his partner's head and angularly turn it towards the thing he was looking at the entire time.

"Son of a bitch…"

Behind the corpse… was a wall—Obviously— with an enormous skull that appeared to be cartoonish-ly laughing painted all over. The materials used in the graffiti smelled too familiar and too strong that despite the sight, the officers had to cover their mouths in both disbelief and disgust. It was no paint. It was made out of the blood—probably the victim's.

"The…. Laughing Corpse"

The Reaper smiled as he blended with the crowd behind the yellow tape and a line of Officers pushing the bystanders back, "There's your message..." he whispered. Satisfied with the result, the reaper left the venue… gone without a trace.

"Send the body back to base. We'll need to make an autopsy report first before sending it to the morgue" The rest of the officers nodded but half of them didn't approach the scene right away.

Roman had to lean on the Police car as he ran the possibilities in his head. He may be drunk but that didn't stop his brain to gear up, "This is not good, Qrow" that graffiti alone was enough give him a nightmare.

His partner sarcastically laughed at that, "No shit. Tell me about it…"

"What do you think?" Roman asked, "Is it really _the_ reaper? Like in those stories?"

"No… Its fake… Someone is trying to impersonate the legendary Satan on Remnant— the devil himself"

"How can you be so sure of that? His tales seems to be fading but you saw that shit…"

"Because, Roman… The so-called Reaper, the punisher, … is long dead"

"How can you be so sure of that? The authorities— The people who came before us, never caught the guy"

Qrow took out his scroll, "I happened to know the reason why that alias faded into stories…"

That's a bluff, at lease for Roman, "Really now? Don't tell me you took a bachelor's degree on the reaper cases? But… well, who am I kidding? You are one hell of an obsess maniac when it comes to these kinds of cases"

Qrow wave the compliment off, "We'll need to keep this under wraps…I need to make a call" He began to scan his scroll for a certain contact, "If this goes out… there will surely be panic among the people"

Roman agreed, "Fear…"

"Chaos…"

"And the Grimm… We'll need to inform the Council about this or at lease mayor right away…" Roman suggested.

"The mayor? The Council?" the man shook his head, "No, they'll be the worse ones to tell"

Oh yeah, how could he have forgotten about it? "Political Bullshit, right. Got it" he gestured a thumbs-up, "Oh, hey… who's ya calling?"

"An old friend…"

"A girl or a boy?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I don't want to be in a relationship where there's constantly gonna be a third party"

"What!?" Qrow fought the urge to smack him awake, "Forget it. You're still drunk as hell… Ya better call your girlfriend though… We ain't going home tonight"

"Oh~~~" Torchtwick cooed, "You gonna bring me to an expensive motel? My, what a romantic partner you are, Qrow"

"Roman… Fuck you" good thing the receiver of the call didn't heard all of that.

After a few rings, she answered, _"Qrow? This is a surprise!"_

"Yes, I'm alive dear sister" Believe it or not, that is how he normally greets her.

 _"You never changed"_

The man didn't want his call to go down that way, all reminiscing the old days. He called her for a different reason, "Sure yeah… anyway… Listen, there's something I need to ask. When are you free? Can you go to Vale?"

 _"I'm a professor, Qrow. I'm afraid I don't have any free time like I used to"_

"Fine. I'll drop by… What's your schedule tomorrow? The earlier, the longer, the better"

Oh, hearing that made Raven worry on the other line. It seems he wasn't told about the matter yet… At least Summer haven't yet, _"You sure you want to come here at Beacon?"_

The inquiry made him curious, "Why? What's wrong about me dropping by?"

It took a few second before she said anything but that short span of silence felt long if it wasn't for the tension Qrow felt. He really needs to ask her now but it was something that needs to be discuss personally.

 _"She's here…"_ Raven finally said.

 _"She? Hmm, She... Wait, as in 'HER'?_ " Again, what is with him today? Was he cursed or something? This is the 4th time that 'she' came into topic, "Your joking, right?"

 _"No, I'm afraid I'm not"_

"She's 15, Raven. The last time I checked, she's still a student at Signal Academy!"

Raven winced after remembering the examination earlier, _"You'd be surprised…"_ the woman sigh, _"Apparently, she's stubborn as you are… Stubborn and creative"_

"She's really there!? At Beacon? Training!?"

 _"No, actually, she's here to have her dental check"_ Raven sarcastically said, _"Of course she's here! Her sister is here too, so what did you expect!? Listen to me! Your daughter is now a student here at Beacon and like it or not… She has her mother's blessings…"_ That was true. In fact, Raven had to call Summer and check if the girl was allowed to do such a thing. Surprisingly, she was.

"She!— You mean to tell me Summer enrolled her there!?"

 _"Enrolled? Your daughter had the same god given gifts as you do"_ Hearing that, Qrow ran to the nearest wall and banged his head against it until it cracked. From a distance, Roman was laughing his ass off, "By gifts you meant the legal way, right?"

 _"The opposite…."_

That's it. He wanted to die now. Can he possibly ask the dead guy over there to switch places with him?

"Why now? Why Beacon!?"

 _"My daughter passed the exams, all she needs right now is to complete the initiation. She moved here to continue her training. Your daughter didn't want her to leave and... Guess what happened next"_

He facepalmed at that, "She followed Yang there… and did something illegal… Please tell me she didn't kill someone…"

" _Falsifying documents. That was all… But I'll admit, the papers were good, so good and neat that the Head Mistress was the one who found her out"_

"GLYNDA!?" Oh, it was far worse than he initially imagined, "What happened next!? Is she safe!? Is she—"

 _"Like I said, you'd be surprised"_ Raven giggled at that, _"Your little girl persuaded the Professor after a quick talk with her"_

* * *

 **Earlier at Beacon Academy…**

 _To do or 'not to do', that is the question…._ She repeatedly said to herself.

The weight of the responsibility solely bares on the woman's shoulders but she wasn't going to complain about it. It was not in her nature to do so. In fact, she was glad. No one should suffer the same fate as she did. However, whatever relief she had on that subject completely disappears after Ms. Niko's current state, flashes in her mind. The People that are closes to her are the ones that suffers because she refuses to play the big part. Always sticking on the _important role_ at Beacon, as she always tells herself.

But the woman had enough. Pyrrha Nikos was going to be the last victim of her stubbornness and all her passive actions until now. Glynda Goodwitch was now forced to the extent that she had to summon 'the Agent' of all people. The Head Mistress always had faith in the person, she never doubted the agent's capabilities. He was a lost soul until liberated by the blonde on one fateful encounter. It wouldn't hurt if she call-in a few favors, now would it? Well it wouldn't be exactly being a favor if it's for Humanity's future.

Glynda made so many mistakes in life. Right now, the agent was not.

A few minutes earlier, she had to send Summer Rose on a secret mission outside the Kingdom. The woman was skilled at what she does, despite being a mother, that is, but Summer was wasn't enough. To be honest, Bartholomew, Winter and the other heads of the Academies are not enough to insure the safety of all the Maidens. Not that she didn't have any faith in them— she did, but the question is always about the punctuality of each movement that went accordingly to her orders or 'will', rather. People will always have doubts, a second thought that makes them human. However, it was the one thing that the blond fears— will always stand in her way. After all, Winter showed it best.

If she wants to act and fight 'him' on equal terms, she had to play his cards right. Yesterday, Glynda sent out a message to one specific agent she knows too well that ' _won't'_ disappoint her. If Humans had the normal nature or tendency to have a second thought about everything, this guy did not. An attribute that she too— quite envy— sometimes.

He was the only person who was told to be nothing but a myth. A hearsay of every drunk bastard or criminal on the street. A mere tale told by parents to scare their children to bed.

The Red Reaper…. Or on a more detailed fairytale…. The Laughing Corpse

Speaking of the secret agent, Glynda sighed in relief. She's been waiting for him all day but the person kept his words when he appeared on the exact time he gave the Head Mistress. He was one hell of a punctual individual, indeed. The room looked like a giant machine, like an inside of a clock tower only more modernized and well build. The gears turned and tick under each complex function. The room was quite lit up with the ceiling lights illuminating the entire office.

There wasn't much of a secrete passage to enter or exit in all of that. The elevator wasn't in use and the windows were closed shut. But there he was standing in the middle of the room, clad in dark blood red robe with the hood on. His face was completely hidden behind another mask, settling beneath the cloak. The man came out of nowhere. A mark of a true agent.

"You called, Head Mistress…" a rather mature – male tone, echoed.

"Yes, I have…." Glynda fixed her glasses and turned to face the man, "You were out of the grid for 16 years now. How have you been?" The woman stood from her spot and took out a small note from her pocket, "I hope Society treat you well?"

"It was…. Livable" she wore a grin in amusement at that. This guy did not lose his _rather_ on point attitude. That reply alone was enough to answer everything the woman might ask of the guy, "Very well, I'm glad to hear that" She gesture for the man to seat but the mysterious stranger indulged to stand.

"I presume that something _bad_ happened? You wouldn't activate me now of all times if it wasn't"

Glynda nod, instead of her intimidating—passive face, a serious one emerge. How amusing, the expression made the Red Reaper smile beneath the mask, "The situation changed…. Pyrrha was attacked" she continued, "She's safe but unfortunately… She's in a coma right now"

The man didn't waste his breath, "You want me to strike back?"

As tempting as it sounded, the blond shook her head, "No… I want you to do something else" She left the note on top of the desk while she motioned to pour herself another cup of tea. The reaper reached for it, eager to read the contents. After a full 2 minutes of silence, the man lowered the note, "I accept this mission"

Just as Glynda had expected. The man won't even question nor did he even ask for specific directives on the mission at hand. The woman couldn't fight the smile back, "Good…. Now on the details…"

She took out her favorite and iconic Data-tablet and pushed in a series of commands, "Here are the things you'll need"

The reaper took the device. He didn't bother to take a look, instead, he hid it within his cloak and turned his back. Before he left though, he took one last glance at the Professor, "I heard a few rumors circling the underground…. Ozpin has his eyes on Vale"

Hearing the name only made her twitch an eye. Irritation started to build in her and _he who must not be named_ is the trigger for it. Glynda let out a tired sigh once again but it was accompanied by a raised hand, as if desperately discording the info, "Please…. There is no need to spill innocent blood… But if he had anything to do with Pyrrha's current state…." Despite the mask, the blond stared at the reaper's eyes, "Remove him…"

The reaper said nothing in response. He only turned—as if by magic— with a swift yet gentle blow of the night breeze, the agent was gone. The good professor is curious, the windows were still close, but she didn't question it any further. After all it was a timely exit as Raven Branwen, the school's second in command, suddenly came out of the elevator, "Good Evening Prof. Goodwitch… As you requested… here are the list of Teams _formed_ after the examination" The deputy head mistress placed the folder on her desk, "I say, this is going to be quite a year for Beacon, wouldn't you agree professor?"

"Yes, it is…" The woman took a sip from her tea and read the list of names when suddenly, she frowned in confusion, "We have 10 new teams for the first year isn't that right?"

"Yes, that's right professor..."

"Each of those team is compromised by 4 members…." Raven nod again, "Then why is there a single student who passed the examination but failed to be in a team?"

Raven was surprised, there has to be some kind of mistake, "May I ask professor, what is the student's name?"

"Oscar…. Oscar Pine"

"Oh… I forgot… my apologies Head Mistress. I'll tend to that right away…. It's unfortunate for Mr. Pine not to be included in a team… 6 candidates for Beacon failed during the entrance exam. They were the ones found guilty of falsifying their transcripts… I have the official report of the said schools… each of them claimed and denied that there were no such students that came and went from their establishment… Minus _her_ "

"I see…" despite the awkwardness Glynda pushed on, "They were the ones I caught cheating earlier…"

She nods again, "I have already prepared a bullhead transport tomorrow morning for them" Raven took the list again and checked each team, "What do you suggest we do for Mr. Pine's situation professor?"

Feeling a bit tired for the night, the blond took one last sip of her tea only just in time for an idea to popped out.

"It is rather troublesome to let the young man enter Beacon without a team… Let see…" She scanned the list again only to pick 4 random names, "I know it's quite late already, Raven… but can you summon these people to my office?"

She showed her the names, "Them!? Ma'am, are you sure?" the girl got an idea on what the good professor was about to do.

"Yes, after all, they look like promising individuals. This desperate attempt is evidence to that" Glynda highlighted one specific name, "In fact, she seems to be a determined soul too. Dare I say, like father like daughter"

* * *

 **Student Dorm Building…**

"Ahhh Beacon Academy… Thank god I made it!" Those were the first words he could freely tell himself after he passed the entrance exams. He just spent years preparing for Beacon and the feeling of success of a job well done, rejuvenated his soul. He never felt so happy in his life! Oscar is a boy with a tanned complexion, freckles, and black hair. His eyes have central heterochromia, with green as the main color of the iris and a ring of yellow around the pupils. All in all, the kid is a young lad bearing an innocent-ish figure who looked like— figuratively— can't and wouldn't hurt a fly. Also, he is a new comer.

Oscar took the moment to himself as he slowly strolled in the hallways of his dorm building. He relaxed himself and hummed, trying to do his best to absorbs reality. It was finally official, ladies and gentlemen! He is now a legit student trainee to be a future Huntsman at one of the 4 biggest/prestigious schools on Remnant!

I mean yeah, the 1k item question plus the 4k words essay were a little challenging but he passed it with flying colors. Actually, it was a piece of cake that he'd practically shrug it off and treat it like a joke. Beacon should try and hire his auntie for a change. She's the best when it comes to teaching. By teaching, he actually means beating the education into you until you shit books.

Yup, she's the best.

When he got in front of his designated dorm room, the kid kick that door and slam it open without a care in the world. He marched inside with pride and dignity. The boy threw his bag aside and quickly jumped on top of the nearest bed. Oscar couldn't hide that bright smile on his face, despite looking like he's high or something. Nothing can ruin this day for victory spelled his current mood.

"…"

Wait a minute, why is victory smells like Oakwood and… and is that sunflower he faintly smells? Oscar tried to pin point the origin until his eyes locked at something. Hold, why is there a bra and a pair of a girl's underwear, hanging at the foothold of his bed!?

The search quickly ended with the bathroom door quickly/comically slammed open.

With that loud bang, Oscar found himself strangely eyeing a woman, freshly out of the showers… naked.

He blinked repeatedly. The boy was seeing the real thing. But before he could say a word or react for that matter, the girl spoke first, "What? never saw a naked girl before?" she scornfully said.

"uhmm…" Was he going to answer that? Or run out the window?

"You're—"

The girl wave a hand and cut him off. She made a few steps towards him only to stop after realizing something, "A virgin…" She sighs, "of course you are. You smelled like one too"

"I do?" he stupidly asked himself, "Wait! that's not the point! Why are you naked!?" He covered his eyes and turned around, "And more importantly, what are you doing in my room, lady!?"

The girl could only role her eyes. She ignored him for a sec and reached for her bra, "First of all, it's our room. Second, I haven't had a dissent bath since that joke for an entrance exam. And Lastly, I have a name"

Without putting her bra on… or underwear, she walked straight at him only for her to cup his chin, "It's rude, you know. Staring at a naked lady like that without knowing her name first"

 _How about perverted?_ Oscar asked himself. Hold on, she said rude… she said rude!? Was it rude for him to— wait, it was rude. Not the staring part, but rather, how he just ignored the fact that he kicked that door open and didn't even bother to check first it was indeed his room or not. Oscar didn't even check if there was someone occupying the space.

"S-s-sorry! I didn't mean to—" the boy was silenced after the girl suddenly held her index finger against his lips, "You're such a kid… What's your name?"

"O-oscar!" seeing her up close, his eyes dangerously yet slowly drifted dow—"

"My eyes are up here, mister" she sharply turn, "I'm Penny, Penny Polendina"

"H-hi… Can you… c-can you wear some already!"

"Why? Not enjoying the view?" she shot him an alluring smile.

Before anything regrettable… or enjoyable happened, someone knocked on the door, "Wow! getting laid already? Meh, hormones"

Penny raise a brow, "And you are?"

The stranger gave a gentleman bow, "Adam Taurus, yours truly Ms. Kinky lady… It's an honor to meet you"

"A-ah uh!" a voice sounded behind him

Adam slapped himself, "Oh! How could I forget!" somewhat embarrassed, the man moved aside, "My apologies… Ladies and gentle perverted alike… This is Ms. Velvet Scarlantina"

"H-hi!"

Penny role her eyes at that, "Great… more weirdos"

 _Weirdos!?_ Oscar immediately threw the blanket and covered her already, "You're the Weirdo here! I said wear something!"

* * *

 **Over the next dorm room…**

"I can't believe you cheated your way in here!" Yang slumped on her bed or… whoever it belongs to. All the ideas the girl had before to celebrate her achievement, suddenly disappeared. Learning your little sister cheated and the Head Mistress happens to be the one who caught her bothers the girl so much. Only because Ruby Rose came all the way from home to follower her. And she's the reason why this is all happening. Yang had no one to blame, not Ruby, not Raven, not Summer. No, there's only herself to blame for it.

She should have gone slowly and subtle on how she explained Ruby about the Huntsman and Huntress training program. She! Should have _explained_ why going to Beacon Academy means a lot to her!

"I can't believe the Head Mistress is letting someone like her, to stay with us" said Blake. It was not in her nature to be rude but in her eyes, a cheater is a cheater. She wasn't born and raised from a well classy family to deal with this. No amount of training prepared her in dealing with lesser people. Actually, if it wasn't for the Faunus name, she'd rather spend her time with her family. But no, she had to uplift the meaning of the Belladonna name because the Faunus relies at them too much.

With her black dress with a faint touch of white floral mint white. Her snappy/moody attitude tends to broadcast the wrong message with other people. Which surprisingly, the girl prefers. At lease that way, she can distinguish those who are lower than her and those who are not.

Anyway, going to the reason of the argument, Ruby held her chest tightly. Acting in over exaggerated pain, "Owtch…. I felt ice daggers on that" doing so made Weiss giggled by the byplay.

"Well of course! You're the 'only' one who dared to even do something like that!" shouted Blake.

Weiss stepped in, "Blake, relax! There's no need to—"

"I won't! Have any of you ever thought about what might the other student thinks about our team!?"

"Uhmm…. No" said Weiss. She happens to be pleased with Ruby who was silent in a corner completely indulged in a book right now. Instinctively ignoring the entire discussion.

"Everyone could hav—" Before she even gave her statement, Weiss cut her off, "You're just like that because Ruby here" The snow haired lady took the book and held her in front, "Still got herself in Beacon. Without even knowing if she passed the entrance exam or not, isn't that right?"

"Well, Yeah!"

Now it was Ruby's turn to feel the daggers .Despite weighting almost like a feather, Weiss settled her down, "Then why don't we ask her?" She crossed her arms and glared at little red riding hood in the center, "Ruby… What did the Head Mistress told you?"

Before answering, she first took an item out of her pocket and showed it at everyone, minus Blake. Ruby presented it straight at her face, "To end this pointless arguments… Here is my official school ID"

Blake and Yang couldn't believe their eyes, "I-impossible!"

Ruby threw it at Blake and ran towards Yang. On the moment of impact, the she hugged her tightly despite almost suffocating because of the blonde's bombastic chest, "Oh my dearest sister! Nothing and no one will dare separate us again!"

"RUBY! You're not getting the point here!"

"What point? I'm here, you're here! And there's nothing—"

"What about your friends back at signal!?"

"What friends?"

That killed all the noise. It silenced both Blake and Weiss. Most importantly, it silenced Yang. She stepped on a mine field there, "Look… I'm here to train as a huntress! This is not a joke… Ruby, this means a lot to me"

"I know that why I want to—"

"No, you don't know anything. To you, being a huntress is a joke! Something you're disgusted from the beginning!"

Ruby place her hand on her hip decided to press her motion, "Well maybe because it is! Yang, I don't get it why you want to be one. I didn't get it when we were young and still don't get it now. But that won't stop me from stopping you to be one!"

Lilac turned red, "So that's your goal, all this time!"

Ruby clamp her mouth shut, she slipped, "W-well, yeah… kinda"

"Ruby… is this…" She sigh and massaged her forehead for a sec, "Is this because your mom is always out on missions and your dad is… quit being one?"

The girl didn't answer but she did pout and looked away, "What's so great about being a Huntress? It sucks, you know that!"

* * *

"What a day…" that seems to be the best words to accurately summarize all the shit he had to deal with. And shit seems to be the best word in his vocabulary to describe the amount of paper works he had to file in. That was just for a regular day, imagine the special occasions the entire city celebrates. The man could only bang his head against the nearest wall when the thought of the Vytal festival came in his mind. Good thing his partner has a good mouth. The man easily talked some of the cases earlier and settled them quickly so they can finally get a drink at the Crow-bar.

"I really need a vacation… A long vacation away from this, away from Vale, away from paper works and away from you" Although that was sarcastically delivered, Vale's Specialist Major Qrow Branwen of the private security Corps meant every single word. A straight, loyal, hardworking and a dedicated man like him, needs a break from time to time. But how can the man escape the city life if he's— literally— the only guy who the gets the job done?

"I haven't had a day off since I took the job… Seesh, I'd trade the salary for a simpler life if it wasn't for the bills and the retirement benefits!"

"Oh stop complaining, old man!" shouted his partner.

"Complaining? Roman, since when was the last time you went out with your girlfriend?"

The orange haired man got surprised, "I have a girlfriend?"

Qrow had to face-palm, the guy didn't get the message but then he was suddenly drag into a brotherly hug, "I'm kidding! HAHA Look here oh, goody old pal! The more we work our asses off, the more we get paid! Here!" The man took out an item and swayed it at his face, "See how fat and healthy my wallet is? Come on! We'll retire in no time!"

Logically, he made sense. Intelligently, he did not. Qrow just had enough of the city life. He knows that the people change but the streets stays the same. No matter how much effort he gives in keeping the streets safe, the crimes never rests nor will it stop. He gave his 15 years of service to Vale but unfortunately, he made the wrong investment of his time there. The guy could only sigh in regret after realizing that now.

"Get off me you mascara loving lunatic!"

"Lunatic!?" He dramatically gasped, "I'll have you know, these makes me more handsome and quite attractable for the ladies, thank you very much!"

Qrow had to chuckle at that joke. Well, if it was a joke, "Say's the 30-year-old virgin"

"Vir!?—" Again, dramatic gasp, "Well, I could say the same thing to you. You've been single all your life! And I literally mean single! You live alone!"

"So, what?" That was a poor effort in trying to insult him back. He shook his head at that desperate attempt to tick him off. However, Roman Torchtwick knew him better than anyone else… dare he say, he knows Qrow better than his own sister or himself for that matter—goddammit. They've been friends from god knows how long now.

"Family issues? Daddy? Ring any bells?"

Okay, that was below the belt. Qrow saluted the guy with his middle finger, "Shut up, virgin!"

"Come on, brother. I'm the only _other_ best friend you got. Who else would be there for you when you mess up?"

Qrow raise an eyebrow, "Mess up?" his eyes went wide of realization, "How the hell did you know about _that?_ "

Torchtwick shrug a shoulder and took a drink, "A little while back…" He poured another glass of vodka for him, "So, when is she coming to Vale?"

Qrow didn't answer but he did take the glass while sharply looking at him, "You're a sneaky bastard, you know that?"

He shot him a grin back, "Yeah, I love you too" These kinds of talks were normal for the two idiots. A few teasing and unethical blows— here and there— but thank the gods, they were still alive after that, "And by the way… don't use the city life and all the paper works for an excuse. You just need a reason to see her… right partner?

Forehead met the table. Qrow really needs a day off, "I… I don't know…"

Roman liked how the guy looked hopeless, "Don't know what?" he asked, "What to do? Or what to say?"

"Both!"

"Well you probably need to start making a list of excuses, tonight. I'll help pick the best ones tomorrow"

"Fuck you…"

Torchtwick held a finger up, "You know what? Let's start with your communication issues. I heard its rule #1 when it comes to parenting"

"Roman, I swear, you'll lose a tooth or two if you don't stop being an ass, right now"

He could only laugh and raise another glass, "Cheers! To the awkward father that you are!"

* * *

 **Chapter 1 end...**

 **Inspired by** **RWBY : Knights of Old Remnant: Jaune Arc Chronicles**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, RT does….

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Finally, drunk and alone, Qrow now had the chance to enjoy the table all to himself. Roman was nowhere to be seen and he was happy to know there won't be anyone stupid enough to steal his booze. That was until someone dared to seat with him. The stranger pulled up a chair and sat on the opposite side. Surprisingly, he had his own beverage at hand.

"Sup Qrow…" the stranger greeted normally.

It took a few seconds for the face to register in his mind. And when it did, he couldn't believe the person who was smiling back at him, "W-what? This… is this…" shaken and stultified, Qrow couldn't utter his name nor can he construct a simple sentence.

"Real?" Taiyang Xiao Long laughed but then shrug it off, "To you my friend, it can never get better than this"

"What?" Qrow didn't get it. In fact, nothing at the scene made sense at all. The world—everything… started to drift away and the bar itself began to blur, even the people began to transform into shadow figures only to fade away like dust in the wind. There wasn't any noise, no customers, no bartender, no tables or chairs either. There was just one table and they both occupied it.

"Well, ask yourself… Is this real? Am I really here seating in front of you drinking martini, 6 AM in the morning?"

Well, on a daily basis, Qrow could only nod slowly, "Y-yeah…"

"HAHA glad you never changed, Qrow" He smiled but looked away as he nursed his glass of alcohol, "Makes me happier to know you're doing alright"

Doing alright? Qrow massaged his eyes then checked on the brand of martini his been drinking the entire time. Did he had too much of the stuff already? or was it some drug doing this magic? "Hold on… wait, this is a dream… isn't!?"

"Yup, that's the Qrow I know. Always—"

The drunken man could only slam his hands on the table, "Thank the gods!"

Tai shot him a sceptic look, "You're thanking the gods now? You really are drunk"

Some unexplainable sensation began to settle at his core. Qrow wanted to shrug it off but the sensation… It was different, rare and quite alienated in nature. It was like some unknown force began to crush his soul or something. He tried to steady himself as he focused his attention on the friend before him, "I... I don't care if this is a dream! I… I—"

Taiyang knew that horrified reaction of his friend… anywhere, quite frankly, he knows the reason for it too, "Still feeling sorry for what happened, huh?"

"Well of course I am! It's my fault why—"

"Ain't that the truth…" said Tai, "Qrow… Remember, you did what you had to do" Sounds of metal chains being coiled or rattled, erupted somewhere.

Before Qrow could complain and state his motion, blood began to color the man's hands. It wasn't just blood, it was a liquid substance that began to crawl more unto his arms and further to his shoulders. The man tried to scratch it off, desperately. He failed when the sensation dawn on him. The blood was hot, boiling hot like fresh out of a living creature. Along the background, there was someone, laughing. Not the grimly kind of laugh, rather, it was a normal laughter.

Still, to Qrow despite the years of experiences, that was creepy. Only because Tai yang gave him a dead stare straight at his eyes, "Don't blame yourself, Qrow. It wasn't your fault… You just had to do what you had to do…" This time, a thin line of blood started to trail down from his mouth. At his chest, there was a gaping hole that covered most of the right lung where the heart would be.

"N-no! I-I did… I did it"

"Yes, yes you did… " Tai strangely began to hover away. He was somewhat pulled by a bunch of metal chains that impaled him from flesh to bone. Literally, the chain tied his body and pulled him inside of a cage… A cage made out of Human skulls and bones. From those hollow figures, something… something talked… someone began to mumble senseless stuff… someone cried… and someone laughed… Ultimately, the rest of the skulls began to laugh and went along with the one who started it… Taiyang.

"Tai! Wait!"

The man didn't say anything. He just kept laughing but still kept those dead eyes.

"HEY! I SAID WAIT! TAI!" Qrow desperately, like a madman, tried to destroy the cage itself as he uses his own bloody bare hands. He pulled, punch, kick, tore those bricks like skulls but the damn human bones won't budge.

"It's! it's because of you! HAHA" suddenly blood ran again, this time, the blood came out of his eyes, his ears, and nose, "You did what you had to do! HAHAHA Now… Will you do it again!? HAHAHA"

Qrow swallowed hard at that. Do it? Do something like that all over again? No… He won't… He doesn't have the will to do it anymore. Once was enough because that one time is already considered an internal punishment he was condemn with. No matter what he do, no matter how much he ran or hide… There's just no way he could escape the sin of his making…

The sin he was forced to make but nonetheless, chose to accept, "N-no!"

"Afraid? That's not the Qrow I know! HAHAHA Come on! HAHA You did it once, you can do it again!" With that last note, Tai began to drown in a red sea that filled his cage, "SAVE THAT LAST SOUL! QROW! SAVE THAT PERSON LIKE HOW YOU SAVED ME! HAHAHA"

* * *

 **Beacon Academy…**

Raven tried to do everything in her power to subtly wake the drunken bastard up. Unfortunately, the man wouldn't stop screaming. She had to wonder if it's the usual dream where a sexy inn-keeper is still trying to rape him. But… with the constant whining and shouting so early in the morning, she had enough, "QROW BRANWEN! WILL YOU WAKE UP!"

 ***SLAP***

That slap felt like lightning. Did Zeus throw that? Or Raven just happened to have one hell of a palm? Nevertheless, it left a mark that covers his entire face, "What… what the hell just happen?" he tried to stand but his brain got shaken good, not to mention his legs felt like jelly. He started to wonder if his head did a 360 degree turn after that. The neck hurts.

"I want to ask that too… Any chance you can explain this?" Raven gestured at him and his partner. Her beloved brother was on the floor while Roman was peacefully sleeping on the couch, not caring if it was his or not.

"I uh… Well, busy night" He nervously laughed.

"Busy night? Drunk and completely waisted in my eyes. Qrow… Just…" She sighs and handed him a wet towel, "What the hell are you doing with your life?"

Carefully wetting his face, he answered back, "Raven… Last night… I—"

"Before you attempt to say another word… who the hell is that guy sleeping on my couch?"

He glanced at the said stranger, "Roman Torchtwick, my partner"

"And why is he wearing woman's make up?" She specifically pointed at his eyes, "Mascara?"

"Don't know… meh, he wants to look pretty and young… What's the word, kids use these days? OH! Cool, that's it!"

"Childish…" Raven said passively, "Well, that's explain why he's your partner…" Qrow felt offended. Roman wasn't childish, he is just that desperate for sex, a love interest of sort, "Next… You might want to explain why are you in my room, 6 in the morning, drunk and all?"

"As much as I want to…" Qrow looked around and checks if there was anything or anyone that could eavesdrop on their purpose of visiting, "Is it safe to talk here? No cameras or recording shit?"

That was odd, Raven shook her head and crossed her arms, "I have a feeling this is no ordinary visit to _catch up_ between siblings, is it?"

"It is… believe me, it is. It can't wait any longer…" Of all the bad things Qrow Branwen hated in the world… He hated nightmares the most. It brought him nothing but discomfort and nothing on Remnant can distracted him from it. Even with the weak legs, Qrow stood, took out his scroll and handed it over to his sister. Good thing the hangover was gone, Raven slap it away, "For the record, this goes beyond top secret and I'm going to get fired if this goes public…"

Raven role her eyes, "Yeah, in short, nothing new…" She reached for the item being presented but was caught when Qrow pulled her close.

"I'm not joking Raven… I came here not just because my daughter is here but because the situation is different. I've… I've seen things, sister. Believe me, in the next 5 minutes, you'd want to keep this between ourselves… Plus that mascara loving lunatic over there"

Raven saw the tense in his eyes. Tension, or fear are some of the emotion that are hard to sense or pull out of from a person such as her brother. Something must have shaken him to act like this, "Fine!" she snatches the scroll and scanned the images that flashed on the screen. Oddly, she didn't pay any attention on the dead victim's body and how gruesome it was displayed. However, with one final swipe… She began to shake in fear…

"Is… is that!?"

"The mark of the devil…"

"Is this real? Was it scanned and—"

"We don't have to worry about legitimacy of the graffiti… the method… the crime scene… the victim… By next week, the streets of vale will be flooded by dead bodies…"

Raven ignored him for a sec, "The laughing corpse… The blood red reaper… is back"

Qrow nodded at that, "Bad news is… we don't know who did it but like the cases from years ago… the person had some talent… Whoever is the reaper of this age and time… Is creatively dangerous and skilled to… you know, get away" leave without a single trace nor mistakes that would lead to his discovery or true identity… well, other than the graffiti… The crime scene was clean.

"S-something is wrong…" Raven found herself stunned and can no longer process anything on her mind. She stumbled back only to be caught by Qrow. He gave her support and sat her on the nearest chair, "This can't be happening…"

"Believe me… I'd rather pick the idea that someone is impersonating the legend… but I can't shake the feeling that the cycle continues…"

Raven held him by the shoulders, "I-impossible! We-You… Qrow, you ended the cycle!"

"If I really did… then why is that guy on the picture have his guts on his hands? I've ran scans on the victim's name… I'll tell you this… the result was no surprise… Drug pusher, a Gang member, a murderer, a rapist and a thief" Qrow looked out the window and pressed on, "The reaper is out there doing his hunting… Turns out, the guy was a worthy offering"

This time, out of shock, Raven held her hands together and ran her fingers on the wedding ring she was wearing. She never ran from the truth. The woman—the mother didn't try and make herself believe in lies. She accepted the hard reality… That her beloved husband is dead and gone. However, seeing the mark of the Laughing skull only made her begin to question reality itself.

"Tai…" she shuts her eyes as painful memories began to resurface, "He… He believed in us! And now… now. After all these years! We actually failed him"

"You didn't fail anybody, Raven…" said Qrow, "I failed him…"

"Qrow…."

"It should have ended there and then… I did it… Now I'm trying to remember the—" He stopped when he couldn't even swallow the memory of it, "Everything that happened from start to end… and I am sure, with my own soul, that I killed the Reaper and ended that accursed cycle!"

Qrow got a little teary at that but the man refused to show it, "I killed my best friend for peace…"

* * *

 **Also, the same morning…**

"Sooo, after being cockblock last night, Oscar. How was it?" asked Adam, "Oh! I'm still sorry for disturbing your naughty bonding there!"

"We weren't doing anything! And we're not planning to do something!"

The bull Faunus enclosed the kid in a brotherly hug, "Yeah right… Hold on, I suddenly got curious. Where you going to use protection or not?"

The discussion hasn't change since they all sat down and introduced themselves last night. Adam, again and again, pressed on how devilishly lucky Oscar was. Penny ignored the rest as she, herself, studies the scene. As for Velvet…. It was really awkward for the bunny because she really didn't understand anything from it. I'd guess you'd call that purity, she was still pure… too pure, "I guess this makes us a team, right?" desperately diverted-ly asked by Velvet.

Oscar broke from Adam as he literally kicks him aside, "A team? Wait, we're a team!? Aren't teams decided after the initiation?" He happened to read the guidelines through and through just to make sure he wasn't walking on a mine field unprepared.

"Well, yeah…" She shyly said, her bunny ears began to wilt somehow as it cutely plop down, "Those were the old guidelines… Somewhere along the … Uhm, the exams… there was a new announcement made"

"An announcement? Why wasn't it posted on our scrolls? We weren't told about it"

This time, it was Adam's turn to explain, "Okay folks. Let me explain… The announcement contained about forming of teams. Once you are given a designated room. Your roommates becomes your team. And the first person you lay your eyes at will be your partner!"

That sounded a nightmare for Oscar, "P-partner!? As in partner at everything!?"

"Yeah! For 4 years!"

4 years… 4 years… 4 goddamn long years of enduring. Hold on, endure what exactly? The kid paused for a sec as he rewinds his steps from the beginning. The action only made him look at another underwear that still hangs on his bed. One name came into his mind…

Penny Polendina.

Before he could run out of the door and talked or possibly beg the Head Mistress for some sort of deal. Penny grabbed him and settled him at her lap, "I'm taking Oscar here…" She hugged him tightly only to glance and shot him with eyes filled with kinky ideas, "He already saw me naked… So, take responsibility, will you?"

"On what!?" Oscar comically shouted. Cold sweat began to pour down. He can see it now. His entire Beacon adventure started to drift away as he imagines himself enslave by the kinky lady before him. A lot of unbelievable toys… unethical items laid on the table. Fuzzy cuffs that would take hold of his arms and restrains to stop his body from moving. He will be a slave to lust and all that is unholy and… an—

"Ehem!? Remnant to virgin? Come in Virgin?"

The boy finally brook from that daydream as Penny knocked on his head repeatedly, "W-what?"

"Were you imagining me doing naughty things?" she innocently-ish asked.

Adam grew a cocky smile, "Why? He's not allowed to do that?"

"No! well, not yet I guess?" there it was again, that… that smile filled with lust… Seeing it only made Oscar the Virgin, faint. As said, the boy really did faint. He fell on the floor and was out for the count.

Adam could only laugh after that, Velvet still wasn't sure what was happening and Penny had let out a sigh, "This team is gonna be a joke on epic proportions"

* * *

 **Raven's quarters…**

Roman was finally up and ready as he got himself a taste of yet another painful slap from Raven. In fact, his entire face went numb after that.

"Okay, first… Owtch! Damn lady! That hurt you know!" Raven ignored his whining, "I feel sorry for whoever's dick you have to wank. I mean, they will never stand up straight again!"

What a straight forward thing to say, nevertheless, it was rude, perverted and shameful. To shake the hangover off, Qrow literally poured all the available hot water at his partner and slaps him back and forth. Believe me, Roman would thank Qrow for this. Raven's perception for the word 'punishment' against vulgar complementary or insults are a little… overkill in understanding and terrifying at best.

"Don't make me regret taking you all the way here, Roman!"

"Sheesh! Can't a guy take a break!? And what's this about 'reaper' stuff? Huh!? I thought you said those were just stories! You even said that the murder last night was done by an imposter!"

"The reaper is a legend, yes, that is true…" Qrow started. Of course he'd remember his own words, but he said those words so there won't be any panic. He needed to make sure that his fellow officers and other operatives has a straight mind about it. It was making sure that there won't be any leaks of information.

Information that are actual answers he still seeks.

Raven took out a few books from her collection of educational stories ranging from the medieval periods up to the modern centuries on records, "But he is real nonetheless. For years, he's been known through countless names…" she began to scan some of the books that bares the words, Mistral origins.

Qrow massage his neck for a sec, "Remember the tales? Not the usual Grimm or monster shit, the once that are rather sugar coated"

"I don't know, Qrow. Do enlightened a drunken man, will you?" sarcastically replied by Roman. The guy rested his aching head on one arm an endured the massive headache.

"Sheesh, for a guy of your caliber, you sure are— Wait, I'm getting side track!" Qrow wave it off, "Fine… The story of Bluebeard? Ever heard of that?"

"Yeah, not a very popular one but still… a classic"

"Good, how about the Bogyman?"

"Ah yes…the monster under the bed…" He raised a finger at that, "Also, a classic"

Qrow threw a book at him which he caught effortlessly. When the guy read the title though, he was baffled, "Okay, looks like you're all set… Now, how about Jack the Reaper?"

"Oh~~~ Now that's quite case there Qrow… The killer that was never caught or ever seen" He opened the book and read some of the lines only for Raven to set it aside and present him with another one that bares more cartoonish drawn figures.

"How about the Werewolf? Frankenstein? Dracula?" she asked.

"Really?" Hearing those old names made him doubt the woman's mental ability to even tell a tale, "You have to be kidding me—"

Before he could complain further, Raven shut him up and glared straight at his soul. Those red eyes are terrifying, "Mr. Torchtwick, if you please… If you wish to know the truth, do practice some common sense and listen well" It was supper effective as Roman's heart began to beat faster and louder. He shut himself up and sat properly like a kid being scolded by his mother, "Qrow, you should take that as a lesson/inspiration. Your sister is waaay better at intimidating people than you are. You suck at interrogation"

Qrow felt hurt, he really did suck, "Shut the fuck up creep!"

"ANYWAY!" Shouted Raven, the byplay lasted long enough, "Those stories, those names… are not just made up. They are actual beings that existed across Remnant's history. They are not fake"

They could tell that the man's brain stopped functioning. The stupid look on his face shows it pretty much, "Okay, so your telling me that there is such a thing as Vampires and monsters under my bed?"

"No, what we are trying to tell you is that there is such a thing behind them… Those are names that evolved through the time—Years even. Behind those names is a real killer"

Okay, Roman was getting it but the idea is still way off, "The legendary devil is not just a devil as the old folks put him to be… Rather, there's a line of existence, connecting dots between those creatures?" he shook his head, "I'm sorry—Names?"

"People, through fear, tends to make up names and stories about monsters like the Grimm… Telling about what they look like and what the monsters do… In short, they over exaggerate about everything… What they didn't know is that it was actually a real person" raven continued.

Qrow read the names out loud, "Bogyman, Bluebeard, Jack the Reaper, Dracula, The Bloody Red Reaper… All of them are the same person... The laughing Corpse"

Raven drew out a very old sketch drawing. It bares the image of a skull, laughing, while dragging people down a small hole only to be shown as hell on the next page. If it was anywhere near realistic in nature, it looked similar with Dante and how he depicted hell with the nine rings, "Through the ages, the people got tired making up names. So instead, they all unknowingly agreed on one specific name they all could call the monster…"

Roman finally understood as it all summed up, "The Reaper"

"The one and only" Qrow nodded, "If Grimm are the creatures who are a product of darkness, he… is considered as the son of the one that created all of them"

Son? Hold on a minute, Roman wasn't ready for that, "You're saying that there is some kind of bloodline!?"

"No…" Raven answered, "There's this cycle. Every time a Reaper dies through natural causes, his soul transfers to a new host. The search is random and there is no specific trait or ability for it to choose someone—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Roman stood and panicked at the moment. These are quite too much to take all in, even with his expertise, "I'm sorry if I have so many question right now and not to mention doubts in your claims… but how exactly did you two, know all of these? Don't tell me there's a convenient bookstore around a corner that sells these stuffs?!"

Qrow only sighed at that idiotic question but then again, he had to press on if he expects Roman to understand it, "Because… Our Father… happens to be a Reaper…"

Silence…

It was not in Roman's nature to keep his mouth shut, "No way… NO WAY! What the fuck!?"

"Yeah, I know right"

"Shut the hell up! Get out here!" he started to walked frantically back and forth, "You're the son and daughter of 'a' Reaper!? An actual Reaper!?"

Qrow facepalmed as he looked away, "Thank you Roman, for shouting that out"

Raven waved him off, "Our father is known as the Impaler… Remember the crimes 60 years ago?"

"There are a lot of crimes, Ms. Raven! Could you be a little more specific!?"

"Hundreds of war criminals who died at the stake? Impaled by spears and left to die as they were all displayed like crucifixion?"

Oh, the war criminals of the old Vacuo civil war. Yeah, he remembers that. Who would've forget one of history's most cruel turn of events. The opposition, or the said revolutionary army, almost won the war if it wasn't for a certain intervention. The entire rebel faction that was tasked to destroy the main capital of Vacuo got eliminated all in one night. When the shouting silenced and the dust cleared away, thousands of men were put into the stake, impaled by spears that ran right through their own bodies.

"Y-your old man did that?"

"Yeah, it was the time of his prime…" Qrow said.

Prime!? That wasn't the point! What roman was thinking at the moment, is the possibility of a bloodline… probably a tribe or a secrete order that would continue family tradition. That was quite common among aristocrats, especially the era before the monarchy of the Kingdoms got replaced by democracy. Raven said 60 years ago, the monarchy ended just 40 years ago, "Wait… then don't tell me he himself trained you!?"

Raven expected those kinds of questions, "I know what you're thinking, Mr. Torchtwick. No… We didn't walk the same path as he did" True, though they did become Hunters first and then after that, they walked their own separate paths. Qrow became an Officer while Raven became a teacher.

Qrow continued, "Our Father is a reaper… He kills without a second thought. But you'd be surprise… He was actually a devoted dad who'd do everything for his family"

"Qrow, we've been partners for years! Why would you hide something like this—" hold on, he shrugs his own question off as he realizes something. How can he be so stupid? No one would believe him and even if there are people willing to listen, Qrow and Raven would have been casted aside or worse, killed as for a form of revenge, _"Note to self, never drink Vacuo's dragon vodka. It makes people stupid…"_ he sat again and calmed his nerves as his absorbed it carefully, "Sorry I… I need a minute here"

"Don't worry, I got ourselves a break from work. We'll be staying here for a while until… well, maybe the next time the Reaper goes hunting again…"

"Nope!" the guy raise a finger, "A minute is all I need" Roman took a book entitled 'Doom of Gods and Angels'. The book and its contents are about heavenly beings that once exist only to fall from grace after a human King assented the thrown. That one king wanted peace and order. So, in his right to rule, he destroyed both the heaven and hell, seeing that it was the only way to end the great war. In the end, the king was successful and through his victory, he created Remnant to replace the ancient Sin the shattered Moon represented. However, the tales of the beginnings wasn't what baffled Roman as he read some lines. The man was interested on a part of the story where the 72 house of Knights that served the great old King had bloodlines, "Ms. Raven, you said something about a cycle earlier..."

"Yes…" Raven nodded.

"Every time a Reaper dies through natural causes, his soul transfers to a new host…"

"That's right…"

"What happens if the Reaper dies through force, let's say a foul play of sort. He got killed in a battle?"

To answer that question, Qrow leaned forward, "No one knows and it certainly never happened before…" Roman can tell, it was a lie… Every time Qrow tells a lie, the man can't look at a person straight in the eyes. Right now, Qrow wasn't looking at him, he was just staring at the bride of his nose.

Roman didn't push that part, "Okay… then we'd just have to find the Reaper and kill it to see what happens, right? If years past and no sighting of his making appears then that ends the cycle. I'm sorry if I'm jumping into conclusion and I don't mean to be rude, but your old man still killed a lot of people. Regardless if he is a bad guy or a good guy…"

The two siblings agreed to that, especially Raven. Qrow took the motion, "I'll admit… We were shock as well when we learned of the truth. Due to inexperience and the naive children that we were then, we hated and judge him without knowing his side. We struggled to break free from him and we beg—force even— for our mother to come with us. Unfortunately, because of the rumors that spread through our desperation… The enemy sought to avenge their defeat… Because of that, we lost our mother because of our own foolishness"

"Hold on… you said you guys forced your own mother to come with you… I'm taking that as a 'thing' that your mom wanted to stay with your dad? Right?"

Raven nodded and then continued, "It was too late for us to do anything… too late to regret, at least. So, speaking from experience, before you convince yourself over that theory of yours Mr. Roman… Please answer this… What if the Reaper is put to this world for a reason?"

A reason? Wait, now that is a question debatable in his understanding. Roman likes to keep his mind open for other possibilities, "A reason? Okay, interesting"

Qrow offered a pamphlet of the Beacon academy, which Raven handed to the trouble guy, "Like the Huntsmen and huntresses… they all exist for a reason…"

"Think about it Roman… When we got the victim's profile, you saw his works, his job. And try to look back at those crimes years ago… All the victims were murderer and thieves. The worse people that society could offer"

"Your saying that the Reaper— a killer— is put to this world to punish or kill people like them? Wait… then what's the point of having a trail? A due process that would insure true justice is achieved!?"

"Roman… The Reaper is the true Justice itself…"

That's absurd! "Would true justice means killing a murderer without knowing if he did in fact killed another!?" he nearly sfreaks out.

"Calm down. Like I said, everyone was put into this world for a purpose…" Qrow looked to Raven it was now her turn to tell the story…

"Mr. Roman… For you to understand the Reaper, you need to know one… Lucky for you, we happened to have a father who shared to us his story…" After they both mourned and regret their actions, of course. That defiance only caused the life of their beloved mother, "Our father is known as the _Black Impaler_ Reaper. He roamed the Kingdoms in his younger days to hunt and kill criminals. He said that it was a mission—a Personal drive— to get rid of the sinners. The world doesn't need them. The people, in those times, were suffering from cruelty and injustice. That is why the Reaper rose from the ashes and ended the Monarchy. Now it's up to you if you'll believe us or not… But let me say one thing... The Reaper is not just a killer, it's a name… Behind that name, behind all those kills he scored, he was a human. When we came into his life, his family, he literally stopped being the Reaper right away. Mother made him promise. Though there were some cases that he really had to kill, that wasn't enough to brake his words. Our Father, when we learned of the truth straight from him, and after all that happened, we made him promise one more time… That as long as he lives, he will no longer kill nor will he let his hands be stained by blood. For our sake, he kept his promise and never again did he became the Reaper"

"Alright, I get it. Your dad is a good man who had a self-proclaimed reason for being a Reaper. Which leads to another question if you don't mind…"

"Please, if it'll clear some grey areas, do ask now" said Raven.

"If there's a cycle and each Reaper that came and went had the same goal… Doesn't that make them immortal? I mean, think about it… He gets reborn after death, I'm sure it's a new body and a new identity. Which also makes me wonder if the memories of their previous lives are still with him… or her, I'm confused, does the Reaper had to be a male gender? Always!?"

"One at a time, you idiot" said Qrow, "First, no… the Reaper in understanding, is not an immortal being. Second, yes… new identity and a new life, but they don't have the memories of those who came and went. Lastly, yeaaaaaaa—no, I don't think so. We've researched that part as well and as far as history goes, there were female Reapers too"

Good. Then that confirms that mother in laws can be a Reaper too. It was a great thing he was still single, he ain't gonna let that happen to him, "Which also leads to another question! What—"

Qrow suddenly felt tired, "Boy, you sure do have a lot of them. Are you even writing it all down?"

"Ah, yeah" looking down at the table, Roman really was taking down notes.

"Who came next? Who was the next reaper? You guys know a lot about it and I'm 100% sure, you did something to look for the next one, right?"

Qrow made sure to look at his sister for a sec. Trying to spot any signs that he was good to go about it. Raven didn't look at him but she did nod her head and once again, held her wedding ring close to her. With that, Qrow continued, "The Beast of the Mt. Glenn"

Before her brother could continue, Raven interjected, "The previous Reaper… was my husband… Taiyang Xiao Long"

* * *

 **Team Epic's dorm room…**

"Why don't we all start from the beginning? So at lease none of us gets rape when we go to bed and regret it the next day" Adam wonderfully suggested, "Also, to clear these awkward duo who already looks like a couple that can't wait for their honeymoon"

Adam gestured to Penny and Oscar. The kid literally was at the far end corner—away— from girl's reach.

"My name is Adam Taurus. A Faunus straight from the mainland of the great Independence, Menagerie!" although that was given with so much pride and conviction like that of a school play of sorts, the other 3 didn't even care, "A gentleman in the morning, a stalker at night. None shall escape my sight for I—"

"Move aside, Shakespeare. No one cares" Penny shoved the guy… Actually, she elbowed him straight at the nuts…

"My name is Penny Polendina from Atlas. Dislikes, I hate drama and I hate 'happy all the time' kinda of people… As for likes…" She looks at Oscar and shot him with a devilish grin, "I'm attracted to cute boys with cute freckles, especially Virgin over there"

Oscar almost fainted again if it wasn't for Adam holding the boy up, "Look here, Sasha Grey. You need to stop reading 50 shades of shit. The kid can't take your level of kinkiness! Try Ninja's of Love, I heard there's some serious bondage play, there. Interested in being tied and hanged like a doll?"

"ADAM! STOP GIVING HER IDEAS!" shouted Oscar.

Too late, Penny wrote it at her scroll, "Alright, noted!"

"Penny no!"

"Penny yes!"

The kid could only cry internally while glaring at the Faunus, "Adam… I'm starting to hate you" he hissed.

"Trust me, kid. You'd be thanking me in no time!"

Onto the next member, "H-hi! I.. uhm, My name is Velvet Scarlatina. I'm from Mistral but I moved here in Vale with my parents a few years ago. I-I! I'm aiming to be a huntress!"

"Aren't we all!?" shouted the other 3.

"Well… things I like are… well, I like taking pictures and stuff… I also like baking and cooking… there's also—"

"We get it already! you like a lot of stuff!" shouted Penny, "Though, do you accept jobs? You're basically a photographer, right?"

"Y-yeah.."

"Good! I'm gonna need your services in the near future… Right, Oscar?"

"NO!"

"Oh stop denying it~~~ Anyway, it's your turn!" was it? oh, it was. He refused to stand in front only because he already suffered too much embarrassment last night and today. He just sat at that corner like a cornered mouse, "I-I'm Oscar Pine. I came from Mistral… I like—"

"Girls!? Teens or older!?" asked Adam.

"On the top or below!?" asked Penny.

"Cakes and sweets!?" asked Velvet.

"Reading!" he finally said. Seriously, was he the unluckiest person in this school!? Why does his teammates looks and acts like maniacs of their own rights! He really needs to talk with the Head Mistress. This is gonna be an issue with his health. Social health, at least.

"Also, I hate noisy people and I hate being manhandled and being taking advantage…" he glared at Adam and Penny for that, "Whichever comes first!


End file.
